3 months ago
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Voting began connected Thursday (February 12, 2026) greeting successful Bangladesh's important wide predetermination — the archetypal since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina successful monolithic nationwide protests successful August 2024.
The voting started successful 299 retired of 300 parliamentary constituencies crossed the state from 7:30 a.m. (local time) and volition proceed until 4:30 p.m. The counting of votes is expected to statesman soon aft the voting concludes.
Voting successful 1 constituency has been cancelled owed to the decease of a candidate.
The 13th parliamentary elections are being held simultaneously on with a referendum connected a analyzable 84-point betterment package.
The Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate information arrangements, deploying astir 1 cardinal information unit — the largest-ever successful the country's electoral history.
The contention is chiefly betwixt the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its erstwhile state Jamaat-e-Islami, successful the lack of Hasina's now-disbanded Awami League. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' interim authorities past twelvemonth disbanded the Awami League and barred it from contesting the polls.
A full of 1,755 candidates from 50 governmental parties and 273 independents are contesting the election. The BNP has fielded the highest fig of 291 candidates. There are 83 pistillate candidates.
Mr. Yunus, who has promised to rapidly transportation powerfulness to the elected government, has urged the governmental parties, candidates and different acrophobic parties to support restraint, tolerance and antiauthoritarian behaviour connected the polling day.
In a televised code to the federation connected the eve of the polling, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin called upon the voters to formed their votes freely. He urged governmental parties, candidates, and voters to support a peaceful and cordial environment.
He said that representatives from 45 countries and organisations, including predetermination absorption bodies and planetary institutions, are observing the polls.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud said astir 9,00,000 instrumentality enforcement unit person been deployed to guarantee information during the election, state-run BSS quality bureau reported.
Authorities person deployed Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Rapid Action Teams (RATs) crossed cardinal areas of the capital.
Police said they person provided a database of risk-prone polling centres to the EC, which showed that retired of 2,131 polling centres successful Dhaka, 1,614 were risk-prone. However, the service said they person identified 2 centres successful Dhaka metropolis to beryllium "risky".
For the archetypal time, drones and body-worn cameras are being utilized for predetermination security.
EC information showed that first-time voters made up immoderate 3.58% of the astir 127 cardinal voters.
For the archetypal time, astir 8,00,000 expatriate Bangladeshis, who person registered with the canvass body, volition beryllium capable to ballot done an IT-based postal ballot system.
